Mail-bag fastening



(No Model.)

S. K. DAVIS; A. F. STOUKLEY & W. I. BARNETT.

MAIL BAG FASTENING.

N0. 446,770. Patented Febrl7, 1891.

INVENTOR WITNESSES" ATTOR/VE UNITED STATES PATENT STEWART K. DAVIS, AUGUST F. STOOKLEY, AND XVILLIAM I. BARNETT, OF

BUENA VISTA, COLORADO.

MAIL-BAG FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,770, dated February 17, 1891. Application filed July 8,1890. Serial No. 358,029. (No model.)

To all whone it may concern.-

Be it known that we, STEWART K. DAvis, AUGUST F. STocKLEY, and WILLIAM I. BAR- NETT, of Buena Vista, in the county of Chaffee and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved Mail-l3ag Fastening, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to improvements in mail-bag fastenings; and the object of our invention is to produce a strong and durable yet simple and flexible fastening that may be easily and quickly operated and that will hold the sides of the bag so closely together that it will be impossible to abstract the smallest article therefrom.

To this end our invention consists in the combination, with a mail-bag having its upper edges formed into a roll, of sliding flexible sleeves to encircle the rolled or doubled edges of the bag anda peculiar catch to hold the sleeves together.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of a mail-bag provided with our fastening and with the sliding sleeves slipped apart. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a broken inverted detail view, partly in section, of one of the sliding sleeves; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the upper end of the bag and sleeve on the line a: a: of Fig. 2.

The bag A is of the usual construction, except that its upper edges are doubled over and fastened together so as to form parallel rolls A, the doubled edges or rolls being reenforced by the metallic strips a, which are clasped upon the said edges a short distance apart and are firmly riveted to the bag. The outer strips (1 are wider than the strips a to give additional strength to the outer portions of the bag. A flexible rod a may be placed within the rolls A to give additionalstrengt-h to the parts; but this is not necessary, as the fastening will operate well without the rod. Two similar flexible sleeves B and B, made, preferably, of leather, are adapted to slide upon the rolls A when the rolls are pressed together, the inner diameter of the sleeves being slightly greater than the diameter of the two rolls. The sleeves are open at the bottom to permit them to slide upon the bag, are doubled and riveted at the top to form the longitudinal strengthening-ribs l), and are closed at their outer ends, at which points they are connected with the body of the bag by the flexible strips O. The strips 0 align with the top of the bag and with each other, and thus act as guides for the sleeves B B. The sleeves B B are strengthened by the metal ribs D, which are riveted to the inside of the sleeves at short regular intervals. The ribs D are open at the bottom and are curved so as to fit nicely and slide easily upon the rolls A.

The sleeve B is provided at its inner end with a rib D, similarto the ribs D, but slightly larger through its inside diameter, and the inner end of the sleeve 13 is provided with a rib D similar in shape to the other ribs, but slightly smaller than the rib D. The rib D projects from the end of the sleeve B, so that when the sleeves are brought together to lock the bag the rib D will slide into the rib D, thus permitting the inner ends of the sleeves to abut and forming a smooth joint. To facilitate this operation the edges of the sleeve D should be rounded or beveled slightly, that the rib D may easily enter the same.

Fixed to the top of the sleeve B, near the inner end of the same, are the ears e, having the plate 6 pivoted between them, said plate extending beyond the ends of the sleeve and having a depending hook thereon, as shown in Fig. 1. The inner end of the plate is pressed downwardly bya spring, as indicated by dot-ted lines in Fig. 1. A plate 9 is fixed upon the top of the sleeve B near its inner end, so as to project beyond the end of the sleeve. The plate g has a catch g upon its upper side, adapted to interlock with the hook on the plate, so that when the sleeves B and B are pushed together the catch g will engage the hook on the plate 6 and fasten the sleeves together. The plate 6' has a thumbpiece F extending from the outer end thereof, and by pressing down on the thumb-piece the inner end of the plate is raised and the hook thereon released from the catch g.

The bag may be provided with any of the eommon forms of locks to lock the plates c and g and sleeves l3 and 13 together when it is to be sent through the mails.

To fasten the bag the sleeves are simply pushed together, and they will, catch, as-dcscribed.

To open the bag the plates 0 and g are disengaged, as described and the sleeves pushed apart.

Having thus described ourinventiou, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a mail-bag having its upper edges doubled to form rolls, of sliding sleeves embracing the rolls and adapted to be locked together, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a mail-bag having its upper edges formed into rolls, of sliding sleeves embracing the rolls, said sleeves having their inner ends provided with interlocking hooks and their outer ends connected with the bag by a flexible strip, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a mail-bag having its upper edges formed into rolls strengthened by metal clasps, of; sliding sleeves mounted on the rolls, said sleeves having their outer ends flexibly connected with the bag, their inner ends provided with suitable catches, and having metal strengthening-ribs fastened therein, substantially described.

at. The combination, with a mail-bag having its upper edges formed into rolls, of sleeves adapted to slide on the rolls, said sleeves having suitable catches at their abutting ends and having longitudinal ribs thereon formed by doubling and fastening the material of the sleeve, substantiallyas described.

In a mail-bag fastening, the combination of two sleeves adapted to slide on the united upper edges of the bag, the abutting ends of the sleeves being provided with suitable catches and with ribs extending one into the other, substantially as described.

SJEWAR'J. K. DAVIS. AUGUST OOKLEY. WILLIAM l. BARNETI. Witnesses:

J AS. W. VIcKERs, ROBERT Annnns. 

